Opening ceremony (Summer)
As mandated by the Olympic Charter, various elements frame the opening ceremony. Here is the order. Prelude Announcement Usually before the ceremony, the announcer (in English, Spanish, and the host country's language if necessary) will say this, a few minutes before the start of the opening ceremony: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to (the name of the stadium) for the opening ceremony of the (number of edition) edition of Pan-European and Asia-Pacific Games held in (host city, host nation), (date)! The countdown will start in a few minutes - we encourage you to follow the rules in the opening ceremony which is in the paper we have given you before you entered the stadium. Read them for further details." Regional flag committee raising and hymn After this, the flag of their respective regional committee (Olympic Council of Asia, European Olympic Committees, Pacific Games Council, or Pan-American Sports Organization) will appear. After this the hymn will play when raising the flag. This has been a tradition since the 1991 games. Take the note that the organizational hymns are different. * The Olympic Council of Asia and Pan-American Sports Organization have their own respective hymns. * Pacific Games Council uses a shortened version of the Olympic Hymn. * European Olympic Committees need to postpone their flag rising to the Olympic Hymn section (see below) Welcoming the head of state After this, the head of state of the country will enter the VVIP room, along with the president of the Olympic Region 1, and, in some cases, the President of the IOC, among other dignitaries. Countdown Then the countdown starts to the opening of the ceremony. It is split between 3 references: their History, the Games' history, and others. The majority of the Games picked up the Games' history, as since 1995 the Games' history were all used then. However, Solo 2011 has a mix between others and the Games' history. It started as a minute timer, and when it hits 22, it stopped for a little, and the city of Montreal was shown, as the host city of the 1st Pan-European and Asia-Pacific Games in 1919. A performance After the countdown, a performance will be shown correlating about the culture. The performance would last as long as 12 minutes and as short as 5 minutes. National flag-raising and anthem The performance was followed by several men who brought the national flag, and will later raise while the announcer encourage the audiences to stand up and sing the national anthem (if they know it). Main event Artistic and additional sessions Main article: List of artistic and additional sessions After the anthem, it transitions to the main event. It first starts from the artistic event - which will show either drama, paintings, or other representations of its culture. Since the 1975 PEAPG, the artistic sessions have became more complex and expensive. An additional session is where people can explain about the world, like human rights, climate change, historic buildings, trashes, and more. The additional session was first introduced in the 1987 edition. Parade of nations The Parade of Nations (PON) commenced after the artistic and additional sessions. As per the tradition, Greece entered to the stadium first, then the host nation entered last. The other 158 nations entered as per the national alphabet. For every opening ceremony, each country has a theme that reflects to the host nations' culture. For example, the 2007 edition has a theme of "Old meets new", where the signer wears a modern-looking clothes based on a Korean style, designed by James Cromwell. Another example is the 2019 edition, with a theme of "Celebration", where the signs are given a "100", and the signer rides a bike, remembering the original 1919 PEAPG. Declaring the games open After the Parade of Nations has ended, there will be speeches by the Head of State and the President of the Olympic Region 1 Council. After the speeches end, the Head of State declares the Games open. Four editions broke this rule, however: 1923, 1991, 2007, 2019. * The 1923 edition was opened by the Governor of Missouri John Lorke, because unlike today, the Governor must open the Games on behalf of the President of the United States. * The 1991 edition is opened by Governor Theodore Raveltoa because the Head of State is currently experiencing health problems. * The 2007 edition is opened by the Busan 2007 Bid Chairman Hanyeong Glumyeson, because the President has to act as a mediator of the conflicts of Kosovo. * The 2019 edition is opened by Lieutenant Governor J. Michel Doyon because the Governor-General are in talks in the Buckingham Palace. Olympic Hymn Then the Olympic flag is brought horizontally by some known athletes, and then raised while the Olympic Hymn is being played. Ending Cauldron Then there will be a video looking back the torch relay of the PEAPG, then the torch will enter into the stadium and will be lit throughout the Games. They have some cool-looking designs, and use fireworks to conduct the flame.